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Probot

There is somewhat of a super band status that surrounds this release. Probot comprises Dave Grohl (Foo Fighters) as the founder and he has gathered a variety of singers, including Max Cavalera (Sepultura), Lemmy Kilmister (Motorhead) and King Diamond, to put their stamp on things. Grohl wants us in metal mode for this project. It’s a reminder of how “metalheaded” we were as teenagers and Dave brings back these leading singers of years gone by to serve the reminder. ‘Red Raw’ sees Cavalera showcase how ferocious Sepultura sounded back a few years. Perhaps this song lacks Igor Cavalera’s heavy percussion. It’s significant that Grohl senses the attitude towards nu-metal and wants us to revert to the good times of thrash metal. That’s why these singers are brought to life again. And the powerful vocals are complemented by the passion in the way Grohl conducts the instrumental parts. Listen out for Eric Wagner’s squalling “My Tortured Soul”, Wino (ex-Obsessed) on ‘The Emerald Law’, and Lemmy cloning Motorhead style on ‘Shake Your Blood’. Overall, the sharp production here is a blessing, as many older metal albums suffer today because of the unintentionally lo-fi production. This music demands stamping and head banging in the true sense, despite the melodies being slightly below par at times and the guitars not being of the right quality. Perhaps a couple of guest guitarists would have completed the picture. Grohl’s best songwriting normally underpins a pummelling punk sound. He always stated directly that this initial basement demo had his eyes focused on getting to work with some of his heroes and bring them back into the spotlight in a real-life metal gathering. This he achieves with great enthusiasm, and it’s due to the guest singers demonstrating how good they’ve been in their careers. You can’t help but be fascinated by this album.